1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a fastener carrier assembly that retains at least one fastener and is used to deliver the fastener(s) to predetermined location(s) on an article, thereby permitting the article to be secured by the fastener(s), particularly in or on an electronic device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Microprocessors and integrated circuit components are becoming highly complex, with a steady progression toward larger devices to permit the inclusion of a greater number of functions on each device. Consequently, additional accessories and components are being added to accommodate the increased functions.
A parallel development in the assembly art has been the advancement of means for securing articles, accessories and components, particularly to expensive integrated circuit devices and to circuit boards. Permanent attachment, e.g., by adhesives or solder, is unacceptable because the malfunction, failure, or simply an upgrade, of a single component, such as a chip, could necessitate disposal of the entire unit to which it is attached. At the very least, semi-permanent attachment, such as by solder, although it can be melted, makes replacing defective parts time-consuming and difficult, with a high risk of damage to the unit, e.g. a circuit board, during the replacement process. In addition, large electronic assemblies, such as semiconductor devices, generate a substantial amount of heat, which makes ineffective the use of standard adhesives and non-mechanical means of attachment.
A number of arrangements of springs, clips, mounting straps, and anchoring devices, such as those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,456 (Clemens), U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,123 (Herman), U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,624 (Clemens), U.S. Pat. No. 5,640,305 (Smithers), U.S. Pat. No. 5,847,928 (Hinshaw), as well as pin/socket arrays have been used in an attempt to removeably attach or secure articles, accessories or components to electronic devices. However, such arrangements have proven problematic because the articles, accessories and components become loose or detached, particularly in response to shock, vibration or heat. Moreover, circuit boards and otherwise flat components, when subjected to the compression or bending stresses generated by the spring or clip assemblies used to secure attachments, have been disadvantageously shown to warp.
The use of fasteners, such as screws, for securing articles, electronic components or sub-assemblies together, or to anchor electronic devices to circuit boards, is also often problematic. For example, an assembler or technician who has to install components that have to be mounted upside-down, must simultaneously hold both the component and the fastener in place while mounting the component. Consequently, fasteners are often dropped and lost during the installation process or servicing, which becomes not only an inconvenience, but if the fastener falls into the electronic device and is not removed, it could eventually damage the system.
Intel supplies a fastening system for attaching an article within the microprocessor module called a power pod, but it merely provides holes into which loose screws may be inserted. Although xe2x80x9ccaptivexe2x80x9d screws may be used to attach the processor heatsink, no solution is evident for attaching the power pod or other components by a fastener means which is not at risk of inadvertently being dropped into the system or lost when the pods or other components are changed or removed.
Therefore, there has remained, until the present invention, a long-felt need for a method or apparatus that would permit individual articles, accessories or components to be easily and efficiently added or removed from a device without risk of dropping and losing mounting fasteners used to secure such articles and the like in place. Moreover, even outside of the electronics and computer industry, there also has remained a need to inspect and confirm the proper placement of fasteners in devices, particularly in difficult to view locations in which correct placement of the attached component and the fasteners holding it are critical to the proper function of the combined assembly.
This invention comprises a fastener carrier that fits either over or around an article, accessory or component and contains at least one captive fastener used to hold the article, accessory or component in place.
A preferred embodiment of the invention provides a fastener carrier comprising a body having at least one predetermined fastener location, and at least one captive fastener inserted at each fastener location. In particular, there is provided the fastener carrier in which a position of each predetermined fastener location is determined by a corresponding position of a fastening point on an article being secured by the fastener(s). Moreover, the fastener carrier is provided, wherein the body is made from a bendable, foldable sheet of a material selected from the group consisting of metals, plastics, polypropylene, polymers, papers, pressed fibers, elastomeric materials, pressed fibers containing webs or strips of plastics or polymers, and combinations thereof. In certain embodiments of the invention, the body is created from thermally sensitive materials, including heat resistant material or heat-conductive material.
Further provided is a method for making a fastener carrier comprising creating a body for the fastener carrier that will fit an article, creating at least one fastener position in the body that aligns with a predetermined fastening point on the article being secured by the fastener(s), and inserting a fastener into each fastener position so that the fastener is held captive in the carrier at that position.
Also provided is a method for securing an article using the aforementioned fastener carrier comprising securing the article by means of the at least one captive fastener. In one embodiment the method is provided, wherein each fastener remains in place in the fastener carrier after the article is secured. In another embodiment the method is provided, wherein after the article is secured, the fastener carrier is removed from the article without disturbing the secured article or the fastener(s). In yet another embodiment the method is provided, wherein the body of the carrier further comprises a lightweight adhesive coating on the surface of the carrier facing the article being secured.
Other features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with-the accompanying drawings.